Taking a Master

First Soul Skill...

Su Ming closed his eyes and sensed the ability of his First Soul Skill deep within his Martial Soul.

"First Soul Skill, Vajra Power!"

He opened his eyes, and the Soul Ring outside his body bloomed with brilliant yellow light.

Patterns formed from condensed Soul Power swiftly spread across his body and rooted themselves within him. His body nearly doubled in size, reaching the build of an adult. A black metallic sheen enveloped him, and every muscle seemed to brim with explosive power.

"Vajra Power can transform my Main Body into a Vajra Body, increasing my body's defense by one hundred percent. The layer of black sheen outside my body can offset damage, and it can also increase my strength by one hundred percent."

Hiss—

Duan Jin sucked in a sharp breath.

This boost was utterly outrageous.

Simply entering the Vajra Body state could no longer be described in percentages. As for the defensive and strength boosts Su Ming had mentioned, Duan Jin felt that they were likely not calculated based on Su Ming's original strength, but on his strength after transforming into a Vajra Body.

"While in Vajra Body form, my size increases and every muscle is filled with power. My strength has already increased by more than two hundred percent. On that basis, with Vajra Power, my defense and explosive strength can gain another one hundred percent boost."

Su Ming further sensed the changes and explained how the strength enhancement worked, confirming Duan Jin's judgment.

"In other words, your strength can increase by five hundred percent!" Duan Jin exclaimed.

From one to three, then boosted to six—wasn't that a five-hundred-percent increase?

Su Ming shook his head.

"It's only five hundred percent for now. The reason I told Brother Duan about that latter one-hundred-percent boost is because the earlier increase has little room to grow. As my Soul Power rises, the difference between my Vajra Body and my original Main Body will gradually shrink."

"That's still absurd." Duan Jin clicked his tongue.

Though Su Ming spoke modestly, he was actually already quite satisfied.

Percentage-based enhancements were the best choice for early Soul Skills. Even later on, he could simply use more Soul Power to maintain that proportional boost.

Vajra Power increased his defense and strength by one hundred percent. That had nothing to do with what state he was in. He did not need to enter Vajra Body form; even if he fought using only his Main Body and circulated Vajra Power within himself, he would still receive a one-hundred-percent increase in strength.

In truth, Body Martial Souls did not need to worry about the limits of their early Soul Rings.

Although Su Ming had devoted himself to studying Soul Tools during the Dou Er era, he had never stopped gathering information about the Body Sect. Among that information was something Su Ming himself did not remember: the Second Awakening of a Body Martial Soul could cause a Body Martial Soul Master's Soul Rings to mutate as well, raising their Soul Ring Limit.

Though that increase was not guaranteed and might require harsh conditions, the point was clear.

"Battle Techniques. Develop them."

"Use acquired Battle Techniques to make up for the shortcomings of Soul Ring Soul Skills, supplementing those Soul Skills, and when the Martial Soul undergoes its Second Awakening, the Soul Ring Limit can be raised afterward."

"In other words, use the Soul Ring Soul Skills I acquire as a foundation for further development."

"Not every kind of Battle Technique exists within the Body Sect, so not every disciple can cultivate a Battle Technique suited to his own Soul Skills."

"Vajra Power should be a Soul Skill with an extremely broad range of compatibility. There are many directions in which it can be developed."

As Su Ming followed Duan Jin out of the Savage Beast Mountain Range and toward Gengxin City, he considered the information he had learned during the Dou Er era and formulated his future cultivation strategy.

"Actually, the Forging Body Tempering Method I developed already tempers the entire body. Perhaps I can take it a step further and temper the Vajra Body."

There was no need to temper the Vajra Body into anything especially profound. He only needed to temper the Vajra Body state into his current Main Body. Then, in the future, he would not need to waste Vajra Power to enter the Vajra Body state.

That way, he would have more Vajra Power available to condense the outer layer of sheen that could offset damage—the Vajra Shield.

Gengxin City.

From afar, Gengxin City's walls were entirely iron-gray. The whole city seemed forged from metal, and even before entering it, one could already sense the scent of metal.

Whether it was an illusion or not, as they approached Gengxin City, the temperature seemed to gradually rise. The faint sensation of flames scorching their skin also surfaced.

Upon entering the city, it felt like stepping into a stuffy furnace, as though they were being steamed and roasted. Heavy hammer blows striking metal rang in their ears, blacksmith shops lined the streets, and outside some of the busiest stores hung notices reading, "All blacksmiths in this shop are certified by the Blacksmith Association."

"Little Su, with your Forging ability, you can actually go get certified by the Blacksmith Association already."

"Brother Duan, is that certification important?"

"Yes. The Blacksmith Association is an organization established by us blacksmiths, and its purpose is convenience. The association is a massive machine, after all, and once it gets moving, its influence is enormous. Whether it's purchasing all kinds of metals or taking Forging commissions, the association can help provide both."

"The most important thing is reputation. The Blacksmith Association is very united internally, and its assessments are extremely strict. Blacksmiths certified by the association carry real weight, so many merchants who come to Gengxin City for large-scale Forging choose certified blacksmiths."

"If blacksmiths like us want to improve, we can only keep hammering iron without pause. So even after taking a master, you still need to keep forging. The person I'm taking you to meet is my teacher. Once you successfully become his disciple, I'll be your Martial Brother."

Su Ming asked curiously, "Brother Duan, what rank of blacksmith is your teacher?"

Within the Blacksmith Association, blacksmiths were divided into seven ranks. From low to high, they were Junior Blacksmith, Intermediate Blacksmith, Senior Blacksmith, Blacksmith Master, Blacksmith Grandmaster, Blacksmith Grandmaster, and Divine Blacksmith.

From this ranking alone, one could see just how low the status of blacksmiths was. Even the names of the ranks imitated the Soul Master system, and Blacksmith Master sounded especially awkward.

Moreover, the fourth rank seemed to be the one corresponding to the Soul Master level.

"My teacher? He's a Grandmaster-level blacksmith."

Su Ming did not find that surprising.

Given Duan Jin's performance, it was only natural for his teacher to be a Grandmaster Blacksmith.

Duan Jin led Su Ming into one of the two tallest buildings in Gengxin City—the Blacksmith Association.

"Every Grandmaster Blacksmith has an exclusive space on the Fifth Floor of the Blacksmith Association. They can usually teach there and conduct all kinds of research into Forging."

There were thirty-six rooms on the Fifth Floor, and sounds came from only five of them.

Duan Jin led Su Ming toward the room beside the innermost one.

Su Ming curiously glanced at that innermost room.

This should be the Forge Room of the Divine Blacksmith Lou Gao. Sounds had been coming from within the entire time, but rather than the dull sound of hammering iron, they were crisp clanging noises.

Outside Lou Gao's Forge Room stood a tall, middle-aged man who appeared to be on guard.

"Grandmaster Si Long," Duan Jin respectfully greeted the middle-aged man.

"Little Gold, why have you brought such a young child to the association?"

Silong examined Su Ming curiously, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes.

"He's even a Soul Master?"